Virginia Rail Meal
December 12th, 2022
I was surprised to see a Virginia Rail in a new area. My morning started with watching for this bird in the usual place. The bird made a brief appearance and then nothing. As I watched and waited I saw the flash of wings on the other side of the area. A Wilson Snipe was being chased off by another Virginia Rail. A short walk later I found the surprise of the Virginia Rail away from the edges of the area and out on the muddy area with a clear shot at the bird.
I was amazed to see how quickly this Virginia Rail moved. Very quick movements as the bird wandered around looking for meals. The bird reminded me of a rhode runner with the sleek body and quick movements. The result was a series of images as the bird caught the meal and ate it.
The biggest challenge of these photographs was the heavy backlighting. This was a cloudy morning and as the sun rose the light on the water behind the bird was a challenge. To compensate I had to expose 2 1/2 stops above the metered rating to properly expose the bird. I was able to determine that based upon experience from other times as well as looking at the histogram in my viewfinder.
